England thrash France 82-0 to keep World Cup semi‑final hopes alive

England hammered France 82‑0 in Perth, securing the large margin needed to stay in contention for a semi‑final spot at the Men's Rugby League World Cup. After a 30‑12 loss to Tonga in their opener, the English side needed a win by at least 70 points. They delivered, scoring 14 tries and converting 13. Herbie Farnworth recorded England’s first World Cup hat‑trick since Tommy Makinson in 2022, while centre Dom Young also crossed the line three times. Other try‑scorers were AJ Brimson, Matty Ashton, captain George Williams, Victor Radley, Jez Litten, Jack Welsby and Mikey Lewis, who added two. Hugo Savala’s boot was almost perfect, missing only one of 14 attempts for a total of 26 points. England’s surge began after a nervy first quarter; three tries came in four minutes of the opening half, giving them six converted tries by the break. They kept up the pressure after the interval, adding eight more scores while France’s defence faltered with simple errors. Despite the clean sheet, England committed six handling errors in the first 20 minutes. France have not reached a semi‑final since 1992. England must now defeat Papua New Guinea in Wollongong and rely on Tonga beating Samoa to overtake the Samoan points difference, which currently sits 150 points ahead.## Context In the tournament’s group stage, the top two teams advance based on competition points and, if tied, points difference. A large winning margin can therefore be decisive for qualification.